Propulsion device for boats.



W. J. JOHNSTON.

PROPULSION DEVICE FOR BOATS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 4. 1914.

1,151,107, Patented Aug. 24, 1915.

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WILLIAM JAMES JOHNSTON, OF PORT CAB/LING, ONTARIO, CANADA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- I-IALF TO RICHARD ALEXANDER SHIELDS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PROPULSION DEVICE FOR BOATS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 24, 1915.

Application filed-November 4, 19-14. Serial No. 870,202.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, WILLIAM JAMES J OI-IN- STON, a subject of the King of. Great Britain, of the village of Port Carling, in the district of Muskoka, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Propulsion Devices for Boats, of which the following is the specification.

My invention relates to improvements in propulsion devices for row boats and other small crafts and the object of the invention is to devise means whereby a screw propeller and driving shaft may be raised clear of the boat bottom so as to present no obstruction to the drawing of the boat-either on to or off the run-ways and yet such a means as will allow of the propeller being moved quickly to the operative position when desired and it consists essentially of a boat body having a slot opening formed in the bottom and centrally thereof, a driving motor mounted in the boat bottom, a housing extending over the slot and corresponding in shape thereto, a stufling box formed in the one end, a driving shaft extending through the stuffing box, a universal joint, a propeller shaft connected to the driving shaft by the universal joint, a screw propeller mounted upon the opposite end thereof, a sleeve held upon the propeller shaft, a pull bar pivotally connected at its lower end to the sleeve and extending upwardly through the housing and provided with a suitable handle for lifting the pull bar vertically as hereinafter more particularly explained by the following specification.

Figure 1, is a plan view of a boat constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2, is a longitudinal section through Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is an enlarged cross sectional detail on line a3y Fig. 2. Fig. 4, is an enlarged sectional detail on line w- J' showing the propeller shaft in the operative position. Fig. 5, is a similar View to Fig. 4 showing the propeller shaft in the raised position.

In the drawings like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

1 is a boat provided with a slotted opening 2 in the bottom thereof and having an enlargement 2 at one end. The slot is preferably formed by slotting the keel 3 of, the boat longitudinally and by dividing the keel into two portions 3 and 3 (see Fig. 2).

The head of the slot is formed by the cross piece 4 secured to the inner end of the keel portion 3 6 is a housing formed by the side walls 7 8, end wall 9 and top board 10.

11 is a stuffing box formed in the end wall 9.

l2 and 13 are side boards connecting the ends of the side boards 7 and 8 with the ends of the cross piece 4. It will, of course, be understood that the top piece is shaped so as to fit and be secured to the upper edges of the side boards 7 and 8, 12 and 13, and end walls 9 and 4.

14 is a slot formed in the top board 10 and 15 is the stuffing box secured to the top board 10 and fitting withinthe slot 14.

15* is the driving motor of any suitable type.

I 15 is the motor shaft. The motor shaft 15 extends through the stufling box 11 as will be clearly seen in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

16 is a propeller shaft.

17 is a screw propeller mounted upon the shaft 16.

18 is a universal joint connection between the opposite end of the propeller shaft 16 and the motor shaft 15.

19 is a sleeve mounted freely upon the propeller shaft 16 and provided with an upwardly extending lug 20.

21 is a pull bar provided with a forked lower end 22 extending to each side of the lug to which it is pivo-tally secured by a pin 23.

24 is an orifice formed in the pull bar intermediately of its length.

25 is a handle formed at the upper end of the pull bar.

26 is a pin designed to extend through the orifice 24 and to rest upon the top of the stuffing box 14 when the propeller shaft is raised to its inoperative position.

Having described the principal parts involved in my invention I will briefly describe the operation of the same. It will be understood that in Fig. 2 the propeller is shown in the operative position or the position it assumes when the boat is in the water. When it is desired to run the boat into the boat house the pull bar is pulled vertically upward by the handle 25 until the orifice 24 appears above the stufling box 15. The pin 26 is then inserted in the orifice as shown in Fig. 5 so as to rest upon the top portion of v the stuffing box. By this means the propeller shaft is drawn upwardly from the position shown'in Fig. 4 to the position shown in Fig. 5, the screw propeller being then located in a cross arm portion of the housing. Then the screw propeller is in this position the blades thereof will be clear of the lower edge of the keel, being above such lower edge and, therefore, will present no obstruction when running the boat on to the run-ways or on to the landing stage preparatorytobeing placed in the boat housing. When it is desired'to launch the boat all that it is necessary to do after the boat has been placed in the water is to withdraw the pin 26 and lower the pull bar by means of the handle 25 so thatthe propeller shaft 16 is swung downwardly into alinement with the engine shaft 15, the universal joint 18 allowing for this movement.

From this description it will be seen that I have devised a very simple means whereby a screwpropeller may be adaptable for use in small boats such as row boats and in such a way that it will not interfere with the easy launching or landing of the boat.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for What I claim as my invention is.

In a boat, the combination with the boat having a keel divided intermediately of its 3 length to form two members separated apart at theirapproaching ends to form an opening, one keel member being longitudinally slotted from such opening, a housing extend ing over the longitudinal slot and having an 3 enlargementextending over the opening, a

driving shaft extending through one end of the housing, a propeller shaft, a universal joint connection between the propeller shaft and driving shaft, a stuffing box in the top 4 of the housing located adjacent to the enlarged end of the housing, a tubular barexi tending through the boxing, a handle at the five cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington. D. C. 

